The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

2012 – The End is Near

The end is near? Are you kidding me? Wake up people, it’s already here! There’s a movie coming out titled “2012” and it’s suppose to be a depiction of the world as we know it ending in the year 2012. This is based on all the hoopla that’s been reported lately (although it’s nothing new as people have been talking about this for decades now) about how the ancient Mayan and Chinese calendars, and one found in an Egyptian tomb, all end in 2012. From what I can decipher from the movie trailers, the events culminating in the destruction of the planet, and all creatures that inhabit it, are based on the recorded visions of such an event in the Bible and other ancient writings. There will be fire raining from the sky, earthquakes of magnitudes never before seen, volcanoes erupting all over the globe, tsunamis that will wipe out entire continents, and of course all other forms for natural disasters – tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, fires, etc. – occurring simultaneously. There’s no where to run, no where to hide, no safe place.

Now, I have read, even studied on occasion, my Bible and it does indeed depict the world being ravaged by all the aforementioned means in the “end times.” (For those of you not that biblically versed, in very simplified terms this a period in time just before Jesus is to return to the earth to save us from our wretched selves and stop us from actually really completely destroying the world. Because left to our own demented devices, we would surely find a way to do ourselves in. We’re well on the path to this type of destruction already.) However, the Bible is clear that no one knows the date or the time that this will occur – not even Jesus knew, and he was God! So, for us (mankind) to make the presumption that because some ancient civilization’s calendar ends in 2012 that that is the date the world will end, is ludicrous! Be serious, do you think if God said, several times, that no one will know the date or time that he’d leave a calendar with the date circled and “world ends today” written on it in big red letters just laying around?

With that said (or typed as the case may be), I do believe that we are in fact living in the “end times,” but we’ve been living in this time period for a very long time and have chosen to ignore it. While the Bible talks about the natural disasters that are to occur and increase with intensity, it also talks about societal ills such as wars, famine, disease, sexual perversion and abuse, torture and atrocities humans will inflict on one another, greed, murder, lying, cheating, and idolatry, just to name a few. These things too will increase and intensify. And they have but we have looked away, pretending that they’re not really happening. You can go back 50 years and pull the headlines to verify that, in fact, there has been mayhem all around us, and while we are shocked and often times justifiably enraged to read about these things, we continue to go about our business with an attitude of complacency and acceptance that that’s just the way of the world. But give us volcanoes, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, all in 3-D, and we’re suddenly afraid that perhaps maybe we have gone too far, that things have gotten out of control, that we have not been on our best behavior.

Hop on the internet, open up any paper, turn on any news channel or radio station, from anywhere in the world, and you will find – daily - reports of wars, famine, disease, sexual perversion and abuse, torture and atrocities, murder, lying, cheating, idolatry, etc. The majority of us read or see these things and are disgusted, or outraged, or deeply saddened. We may even cry but do they have any impact on how we conduct ourselves from that point forward?

Now, while I think a movie such as 2012 could be a vehicle for opening eyes and starting conversations, I don’t need a calendar, or a movie, to tell me that the world as we know it is coming to an end. Much of the world as we knew it, where decency, kindness, empathy, morals and general goodwill ruled, has already come to an end. It saddens me to know that it probably will take a horrific “act of God” to stop us from destroying ourselves and the earth.

Humans are so stupid. God help us.

Captain's Blog - Blog 2

Mrs. Sparrow was so excited to learn that I had finally done it and started my own blog. She has been nagging me for several years about undertaking said endeaver, talking about what a great release it would be for all my pent-up writing energy; how it would be a great opportunity to tell my stories; how it could be the first step to launching my career as a world famous novelist who's books were so good that they would be read by millions and then be sought after for blockbuster movies or at least a made-for-TV miniseries! So I did it and wrote my first blog entry a week ago. But now what? Here I sit staring at the computer screen wondering what in the world to write to fill up this dreaded white space. Where's all that pent-up writing energy? What happened to my great stories? I've drawn a blank. This does not bode well for my career aspirations.

I think the problem is that I'm suffering from an eye migrane. Know what that is? Me neither exactly, but I know it when I see it - or when I can't see and realize that it's an eye migrane causing the lack of clear vision problem. It doesn't actually cause any serious pain but it makes reading, and typing, difficult because parts of words or letters are blurred. Let's see, how can I describe it? Imagine yourself in a pitch dark room with the door closed and a light is turned on in the hallway. You can just make out the outline of the door caused by the light and then someone opens the door just barely a crack and light rays shine through. Now, take that vision of the cracked-open door and imagine that's what you see right in the middle of your field of vision when you're trying to read or type - or do any form of visual activity. Remember that scene in Ghost at the end when Patrick Swayze's character see's "the light" and it looks like there's a slice in the background of the scene and rays of light come flooding in? That's what it's like to have an eye migrane. They go away usually within 15-20 minutes if you close your eyes and just relax them. Very odd. And very discombobulating. Anyway, that's what I'm going to blame this writer's block on - eye migranes. I mean, how can you be creative or inspiring when all you can do is think about Patrick Swayze floating off to the promised land?

Speaking of Patrick Swayze, I hope he did float off to the promised land. He died recently after a battle with pancratic cancer. I was sad to see him go, even though I know Mrs. Sparrow found nothing that appealing about him. I am willing to admit that perhaps Lassie had more real acting talent then he did, but come on, how can you not get into a character named Johnny Castle who could shakes those hips like nobody's business and had me so aroused just undressing and dancing around Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing that I had no need to see the actual dirty deed played out to fruition. (Although it was so obvious in the morning after scene that they hadn't actually done it because by way of an erroneous camera angle, everyone could see that Baby (Jennifer's character) still had her granny panties on, and everybody knows that if they'd really been dancing dirty, those aforementioned panties, along with his tidy whities (if he wore any at all!) would have been strewn across the floor along with all the rest of her clothing. But I disgress.)

Now where was I? Oh yes, how could you not appreciate his "body" of art? Again, he may have been outacted by Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost (and that alone should give you an indication of how lacking his real acting skills must have been), but he more than made up for it during the pottery making scene, right? And while the whole premise of Road House was completely ridiculous, he participated in a barroom brawl with Sam Waterson - how could you not love that?

Back to my writer's block. I'll have to apologize to Mrs. Sparrow for my inability to find anything of interest to spew about. I hope she's not too disappointed. As for me, I'm off to another favorite passtime of mine - fantasy daydreams. I've taken Jennifer Grey's place and am at this moment carrying a watermelon into the "off limits to guests" bunkhouse where I will soon be manhandled by Johnny and we will get down to the business of some serious grinding. Wow, I never knew what a fabulous dancer I am!

Bon Voyage!

Here I go. This is my maiden voyage on the Sea of Blog. My fellow sea farer, who will henceforth be known as Mrs. Sparrow, has been inviting me to take this trip for many years. But like many of my life journeys I stalled because I didn't know what to pack. I mean there's many things to consider, like what kind of weather will I encounter? Will the waters be calm or stormy? What should I wear? What if other people laugh at my choice in clothing? What if I don't speak the language? Or I don't like the food? And the most important question - how far will I be from the bathroom? (I have had a chronic case of verbal diaherra for most of my life and I fear it could cross over to the written word as well. Once I start I worry that I may not know how or when to stop!) Anyway, after much encouragment, in the form of prodding, nagging, sarcasm and some actual authentic encouragment, Mrs. Sparrow convinced me to hop on this boat, so here I am.

Setting up the blog was easier than I thought, although I agonized for the longest time over what name I would use to sign it - MaryAnn. Why the agony? Who knows, I mean why would anybody care what name I use? Why did I? Why didn't I just use my given name? It's not as if anybody I didn't want to be able to track me down could do so with just a first name. But then again, you never know. My worst fear - that Bobbie-J finds out where I live, moves in next door, and wants to be my BFFL - could come true if I use my real name (even though the chances are miniscule). So picking a name has been quite the exercise (my doctor will be so happy as he's always badering me to get more exercise). Should I use a nickname? Should I use the name I wished my parents had given me - Michelle? Should I use the name I would have chosen when I was 7 or 8 and wished I was a boy like my big brother (who I worshipped and wanted to be just like) - Marcus? (Hmmmm, I note a theme of names that begin with the letter M - what's up with that?) I thought first I'd use the name Pearl, but then decided that that was better suited for the name of my blog (more about that later). Should I choose a celebrity name or perhaps a fictional character that I identified with? I almost chose the name Rose - after Rose from Titanic - but that wasn't quite right either.

So why MaryAnn? It's simple - because I'm not a Ginger. Oh, sometimes I dress up and act like Ginger, but I'm only pretending. I'm much more a MaryAnn. And besides, my first mate for most of my life's journey has been the Professor (who can fix anything and I believe could literally make a short wave radio out of a coconut if he had to), and everybody knows MaryAnn got it on with the Professor!

So, as previously noted, setting up the blog was easier than I thought, however, wrtiting it has been another thing. It's taken me over an hour just to write the previous 3 paragraphs! Most of that time has been spent spell checking and of course rewriting practically the entire blog because I hit the "Back" key by mistake and lost everything I wrote the first time! (Curse you Mrs. Sparrow, for my addiction has already come to bear! Or should that be "bare?" Good grief, now I'm going to have to spend more time figuring out the proper word to use.) I'm not familar enough yet with this site to find out where my words disappeared to. No doubt they're at the bottom of the sea in Davy Jones' Locker! Well, the "Tale of the Naming of the Blog" will have to wait for another time. I have to go to the bathroom. So, hoist the mast, raise the colors, and shiver me timbers! (The Professors says this to me all the time.)